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The World of Palms

Palms - most people associate these iconic plants with the tropics, vacation and wanderlust. For botanists, the Palmae, also known as Arecaceae, is actually one of the most exciting and diverse plant families. Palms can be found in subtropical and tropical regions of all continents. They have been systematically collected, described, classified, investigated and displayed in conservatories and museum collections for more than two centuries. The use of palms by humans dates back to ancient times. Human colonization of the islands in the Pacific would not have been possible without them. Today, palm products are indispensable for our daily lives.

Scientists are still working on capturing and explaining the diversity of palms. This exhibition, staged by the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, showcases our current state of knowledge concerning the biodiversity of this spectacular plant family. Fascinating photographs as well as botanical, zoological and ethnographical objects, rare books and art objects from the RBG Kew and BGBM collections and other Berlin collections are on display. Check your power of observation and determine the most important leaf forms in palms or investigate the diversity of palm products in our daily lives in the miniature shop. Play the „palm-shopping-game“ with your family (ages 5 and up) and discover the rich collection of living palms in the garden´s conservatories and open space while walking the 21 stations of our „palm path“.